Disclaimer: I own neither Charmed, nor the characters therein, nor the actors/actresses who portray them. Not even Cole...sob!

Yet another chapter! Gasp! The plot thickens into a porridge-like consistency...it's tasty!

Cole gripped the door handle for dear life as the taxi careened down the street. It appeared that the driver was well-acquainted with the meaning of the word "hurry," although he seemed to regard traffic signals, speed limits, and other vehicles as mere nuisances. Cole flinched as a bus narrowly missed obliterating them, and turned his attention back to Thursday, pale-faced in the seat next to him.

"How much time?"

"Six minutes," she replied tersely, staring at her watch as if she could slow it down through sheer force of will.

"What's that?" The driver shouted back, staring at him in the rearview mirror for far too long for Cole's liking.

"Nothing," he barked back, eager to have the driver's attention back on the road. The cabbie shrugged and turned back to his driving, swerving sharply to avoid a gaggle of pedestrians.

Cole briefly regretted his moment of hesitation in the alleyway. For only a moment, a part of him had been tempted to just walk away. The sheer callousness of it bothered him almost as much as how easy it felt. Cole was extremely familiar with the darker sides to his nature, having lived as Belthazor the demon for longer that he liked to think. Even now, the fragility of his newfound humanity still terrified him.

For her part, Thursday had remained mostly silent, alternating between staring out the window and fixating on her watch as the seconds ticked past. She looked drained and frightened, and Cole wondered what else was at stake here. Thursday looked up and caught Cole studying her. She gave him a tired smile. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"If you would stop yanking me around like this, maybe I'd be less difficult!" Cole lowered his voice quickly, thankful that the driver hadn't seemed to notice. "If you had told me from the beginning…"

"Would you really have helped? Or would you have been too busy chasing after Phoebe to care?" Thursday sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I'm sorry. It's just…nothing is going right. And if we don't get there in time - " she stopped, looking sick. "You were supposed to go work on time, find out Marie didn't show up, and go to check on her. Everything would have worked out. Now…" she waved her hands around helplessly.

Cole regarded her closely. "You still could have told me," he insisted quietly.

"No. I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because that would be breaking the rules! And the instant that happens, this is all over. No more chances, Cole!"

Cole sat back, his mind whirling with new questions. Who made the rules? And what did they get out of this? He had a sinking feeling that he already knew some of the answers.

Thursday's attention snapped to the window. "We're almost there," she announced hurriedly. Cole dug in his wallet for the fare as the taxi screeched to a halt. He shoved a wad of bills at the cabbie with a muttered thanks and jumped out of the taxi, barely closing the door before the taxi squealed off. Thursday was already running for the entrance to the apartment complex, and Cole sprinted after her.

"How long?" he shouted at her, ignoring the stares of passerby.

"Two minutes!" she yelled back, making a beeline for the elevators and waving for him to follow. Cole slapped the call button for the elevators and dove for the first set of open doors. He selected the seventh floor and punched at the "door close" button, bouncing impatiently on his heels. The elevator started ponderously up, and Cole watched the numbers tick by with agonizing slowness. He was immediately convinced that he could have run up seven flights of stairs quicker. Thursday was stock-still next to him, her mouth moving soundlessly as she stared at her watch. Cole looked away quickly, refusing to ask. He didn't want to know how much time was left. The elevator dinged, the doors opened, and Cole bolted down the hall, counting the door numbers as he went.

He knocked loudly on door 627 as soon as he reached it, shouting as well for good measure. "Marie! Marie, are you there? Marie, it's Tom, answer me!" There was no sound from inside the apartment. Frantic, Cole braced himself and was about to break the door down when Thursday shouted at him.

"Wait!" She was staring at her watch with a hopeful expression.

The door opened a crack and Marie gaped out at him, looking disheveled and bewildered. "Tom? What are you doing here?"

Cole felt a rush of relief and grinned stupidly, forgetting for a moment to think up a plausible story. He had saved an innocent. Without the Charmed Ones' help or his demonic powers, to boot.

Marie's expression quickly shifted to concern. "Tom? Are you alright?" She reached out to touch his arm. "Is it your asthma?"

Cole shook himself back into reality, carefully studying Marie's face. She looked even more exhausted than before, yet here she was, worried about him. He felt an absurd impulse to laugh that he quickly suppressed. "I- " he broke off, suddenly unsure of how to approach this. "I was worried about you." He finished simply.

Marie looked surprised, then guarded. She drew back suddenly. "Is this because of work?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "I just needed a day off, Tom. I've been very tired." She sounded almost angry.

"Marie - "

"Listen, I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" She softened her tone and smiled unconvincingly. "I just need some rest today." She started to close the door, but Cole lunged forward and firmly held it open. He ignored her shocked reaction, deciding that now was not the time for subtlety.

"Marie, listen to me," he said evenly and quietly, "I was worried that you might do something to hurt yourself."

She started backwards, shaking her head. "Don't be ridiculous, Tom!" Despite her denial, there was something like fear in her eyes. "I think you should leave." She pushed against the door.

Cole didn't budge, but he felt his opportunity slipping fast. "Please, Marie," he tried desperately, "just let me in to talk for a while. Five minutes, that's all. After that, I'll leave if you want me to."

Marie stopped trying to close the door and looked up at him. "Why?" she whispered hopelessly.

Cole swallowed hard at the desolation in her face. It looked too familiar for comfort. "I care about you, Marie. I know this has been hard for you. Please let me help." His voice nearly cracked.

She looked away and silently let him into the apartment.

Cole took in his surroundings, surprised at the homey feel of the place. Despite its small size, the apartment was warm and welcoming, with bright pictures on the walls and comfortable-looking furniture. He noticed that the sliding door to the balcony was open, and shuddered. It appeared that his intervention wasn't a moment too soon.

Marie stood off to the side with her arms crossed, turned away from him. Cole cleared his throat nervously, once again unsure of how to begin. A picture by the door caught his eye. It was in a simple silver frame, and showed a couple laughing and holding each other next to a waterfall. Cole recognized Marie, and the kindly-faced man next to her as her husband. He realized with a flood of embarrassment that he didn't know the man's name.

"David." Startled, Cole straightened and saw Marie standing behind him, her arms still crossed. "That was my husband. I'm sorry that you never met him before…" She took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes.

"I know that you miss him," Cole began awkwardly, and Marie's eyes began brimming with tears. "But that - " he nodded towards the balcony door, "that isn't the answer."

Marie gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. "How did you -?" Cole gently put his hand on her shoulder, smiling sadly. "I've been there," he said shortly.

Marie's face crumpled, and tears began to flow. "It still hurts so much!" She folded into his ready embrace, sobbing brokenly. "Why did he do this to me? Why did he leave me?"

Cole held her tight, his heart aching at the cries of loss and abandonment. His own sorrow over Phoebe blended with the moment, and he fought back tears himself. Why did you leave me, Phoebe?

Thursday sniffled, nodded silently, and disappeared, leaving Cole standing in the apartment, making soothing noises as Marie cried into his shoulder.


With a steaming cup of tea in each hand, Cole carefully navigated his way to the couch where Marie was sitting. She accepted the tea gratefully and smiled weakly up at him. "Thanks."

Cole nodded and settled into the chair across him her, staring into the depths of his tea for inspiration. Marie's sudden snort made him look up in surprise. She was shaking her head, her mouth twisted into a rueful smile. "I never would have guessed…" she waved her hand limply at him, "this just seems so strange, you showing up like that. It's like you knew…" Cole froze, but she didn't seem to notice. She chuckled bitterly. "I guess my life hasn't really been normal anyway. Not since David - " She broke off and reached for a tissue on the coffee table.

"Can you tell me about him?" Cole asked gently, not knowing what else to say.

Marie hesitated, then nodded. "David was an amazing man. He had a strong sense of right and wrong, and he never wavered once in his life. At least…" Her voice shook, and she seemed to steel herself. "Not until he committed suicide." She looked drained at the effort it took to finish the sentence. "He loved hiking and white-water rafting, even though I was too scared to get in the boat with him." She laughed. "He used to tease me about that. He always seemed so fearless…" She trailed off, looking lost.

Cole reached out and clasped her hand gently. He wished that he could erase the pain from her face. "What did he do for a living?"

"He worked in real-estate. He assessed the value of places so they could set a good price. It didn't pay a lot, but we got by." Marie smiled. "He used to get so excited over some places that he found. I think he secretly liked poking around into people's lives a little, learning about them through their apartments. I think it made him feel like a detective or something."

She frowned, her forehead furrowed in thought. "It's strange, but…the last time we talked, it was about his work. He was working on the penthouse apartment in the Steinhart building, and he found something. It was hidden behind some sort of panel, and he said the alcove wasn't on the blueprints..." Her face tightened. "I was out grocery shopping when he called, and he said he'd be home before me. When I got there - " She choked on renewed tears. "He just sounded so normal before! I didn't think anything was wrong!"

Cole's mouth had gone dry, and his stomach was twisting violently. "Marie," he said carefully, "what exactly did he find in the apartment?"

Marie looked confused, but she answered readily enough. "I'm not sure; he described it as some sort of… glowing orb, or something. It sounded silly at the time."

Cole sat back as the pieces fell into place, Thursday's mocking voice echoing in his head. Closure…unfinished business ...you have to discover this truth for yourself. He knew why he had been sent to help Marie. He knew exactly what David had found in that apartment…his old apartment. Yet another loose end that Cole had left behind when he died.

His father's soul.


Thanks so much for all the great reviews; it really helps to keep this story going!

Girl Version of Chandler: Intriguing penname...I'll do my best to deliver a high-quality story (such as it is) for you wonderful readers!

Maricole: Thanks so much for hanging in there through the long hiatus. I'm afraid the Cole abuse won't stop anytime soon...it's all in the interests of closure, though.

Shel: Cole does seem to have that consistent trait his inability to listen to others when he should...especially when it comes to Phoebe. So rebellious and stubborn!

Badgirl21: Maybe they will and maybe they won't...wait and see...